1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to decision-aiding systems, and particularly to an automated battlefield management system.
2. Technical Background
Information technology is changing the way military operations are conducted. The components of joint military forces, including aircraft, mechanized infantry, and other ground based units must have a superior knowledge of the threat environment to efficiently accomplish their missions. For example, military aircraft typically fly their missions as part of an integrated task force battle plan. Each route must be extensively planned with respect to known threats, threat locations, and threat capabilities. Each unit that is deployed to execute the integrated battle plan must coordinate their activities with other units. This coordination requires timely and manageable information.
The goal of military planners is to provide each joint task force with “decision superiority.” This is defined as the ability to make superior decisions, and implement those decisions, before the enemy can react.
In one approach that has been considered, digital mapping systems have been configured to display the characteristics of the terrain around the aircraft, the location of the aircraft relative to the terrain, the flight path of the aircraft, and the location of the threats relative to the aircraft. The display may also provide information that indicates the visibility of the aircraft relative to the threat and possible flight paths for the aircraft to avoid detection by the threats. Unfortunately, the displayed information is stale. One drawback to this approach relates to the fact that the map image is pre-processed and does not include dynamic elements of real-time mission scenes.
In another approach that has been considered, military aircraft platforms have been equipped with a satellite communications receiver that provides “over-the-horizon” real-time, or near real time, threat information that allows crews to avoid and counter threats. This information may be displayed on a digital map similar to the one described above. The threat information obtained using the methods described above may be employed by the crew to re-plan the mission en-route, if necessary. One disadvantage to this approach is that the information displayed on the digital map must be assessed manually. Further, if a new route is needed, the route must also be plotted manually.
Accordingly, what is needed is a system that automates manual tasks to provide increased situational awareness with no additional burden on the pilot and/or the flight crew. Situational awareness refers to providing a pilot and/or crew with access to the entire battlefield environment, while at the same time, reducing the probability of detection by enemy forces. Thus, it would be desirable to provide an automated system that determines the impact of intelligence data on the route, re-plot the route, and update the mission plan in response to the new intelligence data. What is also needed is a system that is configured to locate and track the locations of combat survivors, and plot a efficient route to the pick up point.